In a press conference Tuesday, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick said his involvement in animal fighting ended up being a good thing.

The football star and Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, were on Capitol Hill to urge support for the bipartisan Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act.

Vick said his experience in the dogfighting world — and his subsequent 18-month incarceration (and fall from grace) — “all happened for a reason,” according to the “Pennsylvania Ave.” blog on the Morning Call website.

The star quarterback claimed that his celebrity status and his firsthand knowledge of the consequences have helped him educate at-risk youths about the reality and consequence of animal fighting.

“I think everything happens for a reason,” Vick told reporters. “I went through what I went through in my life for a reason.”

“It’s a story of redemption,” said Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), chairman of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus.